Excelle

Recently I read about an Australian company that put out an ad seeking new employees, but with a rather uncommon request—the applicants had to be a certain astrology sign. Anyone under the Taurus, Aquarius, Aries, Capricorn, or Leo signs were encouraged to submit resumes because, according to a spokesperson for the company, those signs make the best employees. I was a ...

The older I get the more I realize my time is worth as much to me as any money I could possibly earn. And while I firmly believe I have unlimited earning potential in my chosen business, I also realize that no matter how hard I try, I cannot increase the number of hours in my day. Yes, I’ve managed to ...

Sometimes, a person will lose their job through no fault of their own. The whims of a psychotic boss, an economy in shambles, or a simple misunderstanding can have an otherwise satisfactory employee packing up his or her cubicle. Other times, a person will lose their job because they have done something so incredibly foolish, you wonder how they ever ...

We live in a world where speed is key. Everything has to be bigger, better, faster, and so on. Time is money, so no one can afford to wait for anything. Unfortunately this development has enabled email to become ridiculously over-used and abused. We all know that e-mail forwards can get you in trouble. Everyone has heard about the person who ...

In this totally unstable business climate, everyone is under a great deal of pressure. People are more prone to snap at each other, and office altercations aren’t unusual. Nevertheless, no matter what your job or situation, having a bonafide meltdown at work diminishes your credibility and intrudes on your reputation. Colleagues and managers who think you can’t handle stress will take ...

Most bestselling nonfiction authors are men. The most successful online personalities are men. The people who have made it the biggest in the motivational speaking field? Yup, men again. This is not to say that there aren’t lots of accomplished women in these areas. There are. But there are more men. With regard to speaking, I’ve even had people say to ...

“There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” _Madeleine Albright, Former U.S. Secretary of State_ One dynamic that hinders women from being more successful is something that most people don’t speak about openly: women’s damaging competition with other women. By “damaging competition”, we mean competition that is not productive, but instead is personal and mean- ...

In an effort to maintain the transparency and accountability promised during the Presidential campaign, the Obama Administration launched Recovery.gov. The site is a searchable database of how and where tax dollars are spent as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Excelle found the most useful part of the site is the Estimated Job Effect Flash Map of the ...

If you've worked with the same company for several years, you've probably built many friendships. Some of your coworkers might be close friends, while others are individuals with whom you might share a weekend story on Monday morning. A friendship at work can become a powerful networking tool or a toxic relationship. What works best when you are in a leadership ...

It is icing on the cake when we naturally connect with people at work. And if only we could pick our coworkers like we pick our friends. For most of us though, we probably work with a few people we would not have hired ourselves. Nonetheless, how we manage key relationships with even the most difficult people will determine our level ...

When friends are out of work, they're still friends and should be treated that way. Tomorrow it could be you. Layoffs are never easy, and they're never fun—whether you're the person who's out of a job or the colleague left behind. [widget:535] One banker I know is racked with guilt because he has been told that 20 people from his group ...

Corporate America was founded by men and is still dominated by men. As a result, it has many stereotypically masculine qualities. Some of these are great; others are not. There are many aspects embedded in corporate American culture that are not the best thing for the people in it or for business itself. Your challenge is to first figure out what ...

We’ve all heard stories about friends or family members who go into business together only to end up bitter enemies (with failed companies) because one of them has slacked off, made terrible decisions, stolen money, or manipulated the other. At the same time, countless business partnerships thrive and succeed. What differentiates the nightmare pairings from the dynamic duos? And when it ...

I’ve been hearing about a growing number of workers having their hours cut back at a moment’s notice. Telemarketers suddenly being told not to come in for a few days. Housekeepers at hotels and country clubs being told to leave half way through their shifts. It’s all part of the economic squeeze. Since employee paychecks are the biggest chunk of an ...

Look around your workplace, and calculate the percentage of women. Now look at top management. How many of those corner offices are occupied by women? For the vast majority of U.S. workplaces, the answer is, 20% or less, even though women make up 48% of the total workforce. As Newsweek columnist Anna Quindlen writes in The Leadership Lid: “One of the ...

I had the amazing opportunity a couple months ago to see Gloria Steinem speak. She, as most of you probably know, is a very well-known feminist. I asked her how we can continue to change the corporate culture to make it more inviting and more equal for women. Her answer was very interesting. She said, “Eliminate caution.” Eliminate caution. And she ...

Thank goodness for caller ID. It’s saved me many a time from having to suffer through a three-hour conversation with my aunt Judy (or “Jawdy,” as I call her). Don’t get me wrong; my aunt is a sweetheart, but she does ramble on. We all have that person in our lives who just can’t seem to get the hint that it’s ...

“How do I keep the contagious effect of negativity from rubbing off on me?” is the question that I’m asked most frequently by my seminar participants. My reply: The Three P’s. These were inspired by the work of Dr. Martin Seligman who has extensively studied what makes some people positive despite the most dire circumstances. Likewise, what makes some people consistently ...

Changing careers is never easy. Half the world thinks you've lost your mind, headhunters say you'll never work again and your relatives contribute the old "I told you so" routine. But for many burned-out, bored or multitalented folks who are sitting on skills they're not getting a chance to use, changing fields is the only way to keep from losing their ...

Ever notice how some mediocre employees rise while more competent ones languish? Often, it's because they know how to play office politics. I know, I know. You'd like to think you can succeed purely on your merits. In some offices you can, but in many others, you must know how to play the game. Here's how to win at office politics ...